US military begins construction of Gaza aid pier
“I can confirm that US military vessels, to include the USNS Benavidez, have begun to construct the initial stages of the temporary pier and causeway at sea,” Pentagon spokesman Major General Patrick Ryder told reporters.
03:26
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The UN has warned Gaza faces famine and has complained of “overwhelming obstacles” in getting in aid and distributing it around the enclave.
Aid agencies and the Biden administration have implored Israel to ease access for relief supplies into Gaza and to give their convoys safe passage inside the territory.
US officials have said the US military operation would provide hundreds of additional truck loads of aid every day and those shipments could include more than 2 million meals daily.
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Ryder said the Pentagon was tracking some type of mortar attack in Gaza that caused minimal damage in the marshalling area for the pier.
But he added that US forces had not started moving anything to that area yet and there were no US forces on the ground.
In a statement, the Israeli military said it would provide security and logistics support for the pier.